South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1887-11-11
THE TEA-TASTER.
Men Who Live by Testing the
Quality of Tea.
An Acute Taste and Keen Sense
of Smell Required.

The sign stares down from a large
warehouse in Front street: Brown,
Jones & Smith, Tea-tasters, Up stairs
First floor 'front.'
1t is common enough sign in London,
where the business of tea-tasting is i'm
portant aud widespread. Brown, Jones
& Smith have in their place of business
little low table paved with porcelain
saucers that hold many varieties of tea,
stove whereupon bright copper ket-
tie sings merrily, two desks and a few
chairs. A young man in charge brcwed
a cup of what the reporter at once pro-
nounccd to be good English breakfast
tea, but which was in reality an inferior
guilty of Souchong.
"The arrival of the profes sional tea
faster in America, said the young man,
lis of comparatively recent date, and
we are consequently very few. Laying
aside all thought of malt liquors, tea
may be said TO be the national beverage
of the Englishman, and there is perhaps
no people in the world more capable of
Judging as to the merit and value of the
various crops than they.
For years dealers in America had to
rely upon their European agents for the
quality and flavor of tea, but after a
while tea-tasting became business here.
just rs 1t has long been in other coun-
tries. For years the majority of the tea
used in America came via the Suez Canal
to this city. This was very much
! cheaper than to ship 1T overland. Prob
ably half a million packages are handled
in the New York market, every wear.
Importers endeavored to introduce In
dian tea into the American market, but
1T found little favor. The lighter bodied
teas which come from Japan are the
favorite brands now, although the
greens, imperial, gunpowder, young
Hyson aud Tyson Twankys, all
of which grow in China, find a large
market The Japanese teas, however,
are not so pungent as the Indian plant.
Most of the Oolongs grow in Formosa,
but the Pingsuey, which is noted for
its cup quality Moyunes Souchongs
and Congous are Of Chinese growth.
English breakfast teas, in fact. are
Congoui, although we do get an Indian
tea that is of similar aroma. At one
time these teas could not be sold here.
With the growing trade in the trans
atlantic passenger service, however, the
calls for English breakfast tea became
moro and more numerous, until now it
is quite an important feature of our
trade.
As rule importers receive samples
of shipments before the cargo arrives.
These samples are given to the tea tas-
tiers, and in this way the quality of the
shipment is learned in advance. The
teas are infused by pouring boiling water
OF them. The first test is known as
'nosing the tea" This is done by the
sense of smell and is performed while
the infusion is boiling hot so as to as
| certain the plants aroma. Then, to de-
termine whether or no it holds up TO
the full flavor and is smooth and fine it
Is tasted after the manner employed
, by wine merchants who test wines. The
aroma of some teas is so light that it
passes off in steam, and after standing
a while it is positively insipil, although
at first they start with marked aroma.
II is the business of the
tca-tastcr to discover all this.
1t often happens that in grading teas a
loss is paid to the importer The basis
of sales in the tea market is the prices
for the quality offered, and not their cost
in Japan. All tea is sold by weight
1873 Is pounds, known as picul, being
the standard. 1t ranges in price from
IS and so picul to S35 and $40.
''Tea-tasting requires long experience,
and few persons are adapted to the
calling. II requires an acute taste and
! keen sense OF smell. Besides this. man
can be killed by tea poison, the fannie
acid contained in the tea, although I
suppose coffee Caus $ a hundred cases of
! indigestion and liver troubles where tea
is responsible for one little headache.
However, if you are ever tempted to be-
: come tea-tlster take my advice and
don't '-fM Mail and ExDrcss